This is the place to keep up with all the happenings here at any given moment. This where I can keep everyone updated & informed of all that is new and news with the family. There is the random stuff generated by various sources that have appealed to me, amusing bits, and thing that sometimes tick me off. It depends on the day – it runs the gamut in content. Be prepared for a surprise everyday. Thanks for joining me on the journey.

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Saturday, September 29, 2007

What a beautiful morning! I opened the windows last night and have been enjoying the wonderful fall weather.

Walter & I went out with Roz et.al. last night to celebrate her birthday. We had dinner at El Toro Loco then headed back out to Winterpock to her sister's house. Great Fun!

Walter's off this morning helping out one of the guys at work do some construction. They at least have great weather for their project. Carla is out on her leash enjoying rolling in the grass and laying in the sun. Which is something that she doesn't have the opportunity to do very much during the week. Tweat is even out on the patio, playing with the bell in her cage, and talking to the other birds out in the woods.

The carpenter for the apartments has been by this morning. There are a couple of boards on the building that he will be replacing today. The wonderful quite and lazy mood will be broken when he returns...so I'm going to truly enjoy it until then.

Well, I received a call this morning from Dr. Martin - wanting to get some video production done this afternoon. So since I had been able to sleep late this morning and enjoy the wonderful morning. I went into the office this afternoon to work on some videos. We spent about four hours getting things onto tape. Now there is a lot of editing work that needs to be done, but that is for another day.

This evening I've come home and been able to pop open the door and let the cool air in. Great day!Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day:The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Thought For the Day: Friends are like the walls of a house. Sometimes they hold you up, sometimes you lean on them. ! But sometimes, it's enough to know they're just standing by.

What is Love?

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an Elderly gentleman in his 80's, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a Hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.

He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?" He smiled as he patted my hand and said, "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, "That is the kind of Love I want in my life."

This will give you the chills........GOOD chills.

A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice. The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?"

After service he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways.

It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God. If you still speak to people speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey."

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?" He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk.

The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. "Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk." It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home.

As he passed Seventh Street , he again felt the urge, "Turn D own that street."

This is crazy he thought and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street at the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God, I will".

He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.

Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street." The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep.

He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat. "Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid." Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.

Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door opened before the young man could get away.

The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. "What is it?"

The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you." The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway.

Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.

The man began speaking and half crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk."

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I asked Him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?"

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put it in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face.

He knew that God still answers prayers.

Prescription Check

An old man strode in to his doctors office and said, "Doc, my druggist said to tell you to change my prescription and to check the prescription you've been giving to Mrs. Smith."

"Oh, he did, did he?" the doctor shot back. "And since when does a druggist second guess a doctor's orders?"

The old man says, "Since he found out I've been on birth control pills since February."

MARINES AND TAMPONS(A GREAT STORY)

Tampons to the rescue in Iraq!! Don't worry, it's a good story,and worth reading. It's even humorous in parts. It's from the mother of a Marine in Iraq.

My son told me how wonderful the care packages we had sent them were and wanted me to tell everyone thank you. He said that one guy we'll call Marine X, got a girl care package and everyone was giving him a hard time. My son said, "Marine X got some really nice smelling lotion and everyone really likes it, so every time he goes to sleep they steal it from him." I to told my son I was really sorry about the mistake, and if he wanted I would send Marine X another package. He told me not to worry about Marine X because every time I send something to him, Marine X thinks it's for him too.

He said when my husband and I sent the last care package, Marine X came over to his cot picked up the box, started fishing through it, and said, "What'd we get this time?"

My son said they had the most fun with Marine X's package. He said he wasn't sure who we were sending the pack to, but the panties were size 20, and he said one of the guys got on top of the Humvee and jumped off with the panties over his head and yelled, "Look at me, I'm an Airborne Ranger!!!!" One of the guys attached the panties to an antenna and it blew in the wind like a windsock. He said it entertained them for quite awhile. Then of course.......they had those tampons.

When he brought this up, my imagination just went running, but he continued. My son said they had to go on a mission and Marine X wanted the Chap-Stick and lotion for the trip. He grabbed a bunch of the items from his care package and got in the Humvee. As luck would have it he grabbed the tampons too, and my son said everyone was teasing him about "not forgetting his feminine hygiene products."

He said things went well for a while, then the convoy was ambushed and a Marine was shot. He said the wound was pretty clean, but it was deep. He said they were administering first aid but couldn't get the bleeding to slow down, and someone said, "Hey! Use Marine X's tampons!" My son said they put the tampon in the wound. At this point my son profoundly told Me, "Mom, didyou know that tampons expand?" ("Well....yeah!")

They successfully slowed the bleeding until the guy got better medical attention. When they went to check on him later The surgeon told them, "You guys saved his life. If you hadn't stopped that bleeding he would have bled to death." My Son said, "Mom, the tampons sent by the Marine Moms by mistake saved a Marine's life."

At this point I asked him, "Well, what did you do with the rest of the tampons?"

He said, "Oh, we divided them up and we all have them in our flak jackets, and I kept two for our first aid kit."

I am absolutely amazed by the ingenuity of our Marines. I can't believe that something that started out as a mistake then turned into a joke, ended up saving someone's life. My sister said she doesn't believe in mistakes. She believes God had a plan all along. She believes that "female care package" was sent to Marine X to save our Marine.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

The day started off well and so far has continued along that same path. I was able to get several things completed at work today and that has set up for a good afternoon.

I left work early this afternoon to run several of my own errands and to rest up for the big teleseminar this evening. I'll be handling the technical end from home. I'm pretty sure that things will go just fine. It's all a matter of listening to what's going on.

When I got in from the office I ran into the maintenance people and was finally able to get some resolution to the odor problem in the apartment. They sprayed the vent area under the AC/Heating unit and the water heater with a bleach solution and have set up a dehumidifier. That should take care of the whole situation in no time.I ran over to Kinko's this afternoon and had my passport photo taken and then put in my passport application at the post office. And much to my surprise, I ran into Kimi and Marion as I was leaving. Kimi was coming in to get her passport as well. She's heading off to the Caribian this coming Spring followed by a European tour next Summer as a "teen Ambassador". Pretty neat stuff. So we're waiting to see which one of us actually gets our passports first.

I finished up with a quick trip to Ukrops for a couple of things then back home to settle in for the evening. Walter has been down to visit since he's come home and may be back at some point later in the evening.

I pulled off the teleseminar without a hitch. It went smoothly. YIPEE!!Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day:If you're not scared or angry at the thought of a human brain being controlled remotely, then it could be this prototype of mine is finally starting to work. - John Alejandro King

Lotta Bull!!(funny and true)

An Indian walks into a cafe with a shotgun in one hand pulling a male buffalo with the other. He says to the waiter: "Want coffee."

The waiter says, "Sure , Chief. Coming right up."

He gets the Indian a tall mug of coffee. The Indian drinks the coffee down in one gulp, turns and blasts the buffalo with the shotgun, causing parts of the animal to splatter everywhere and then just walks out.

The next morning the Indian returns. He has his shotgun in one hand, pulling another male buffalo with the other.

He walks up to the counter and says to the waiter, "Want coffee."

The waiter says "Whoa, Tonto! We're still cleaning up your mess from yesterday. What was all that about, anyway?"

The Indian smiles and proudly says..."Training for position in United States Congress: Come in, drink coffee, shoot the bull, leave mess for others to clean up, disappear for rest of day."

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Hope that you all had a pleasant evening. I know that I sure did. I really did have a good sleep.

Off to work and the install of FIOS. Yippe!

No FIOS :( Not even close. The cables hadn't even been layed yet! Oh, well it'll happen another day. It will just take longer than had been anticipated.

I was able to 'master' the teleseminar today. I believe that I will be able to handle the teleseminar tomorrow evening.

Walter and I had a nice Chinese dinner this evening. I couldn't believe that it was so good. I'm glad that Top's China delivers.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: “Sometimes I wish I were a Democrat because Democrats seem to have more fun. At other times I wish I were a Libertarian because Republicans are too much like Democrats. What I actually am is a right-wing independent who is registered Republican because there isn’t any place else to go.” — Lyn Nofziger

First Date Nightmare

If you didn't see this on the Tonight show, I hope you're sitting down............

When you read it. This is probably the funniest date story ever, first date or not!!! We have all had bad dates but this takes the cake.

Jay Leno went into the audience to find the most embarrassing first date that a woman ever had.

The winner described her worst first date experience. There was absolutely no question as to why her tale took the prize!

She said it was midwinter...Snowing and quite cold...and the guy had taken her skiing in the mountains outside Salt Lake City , Utah. It was a day trip (no overnight).

They were strangers, after all, and truly had never met before. The outing was fun but relatively uneventful until they were headed home late that afternoon. They were driving back down the mountain, when she gradually began to realize that she should not have had that extra latte. They were about an hour away from anywhere with a rest room and in the middle of nowhere! Her companion suggested she try to hold it, which she did for a while.

Unfortunately, because of the heavy snow and slow going, there came a point where she told him that he had better stop and let her go beside the road, or it would be the front seat of his car. They stopped and she quickly crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants down and started. In the deep snow she didn't have good footing, so she let her butt rest against the rear fender to steady herself. Her companion stood on the side of the car watching for traffic and indeed was a real gentleman and refrained from peeking. All she could think about was the relief she felt despite the rather embarrassing nature of the situation. Upon finishing however, she soon became aware of another sensation.

As she bent to pull up her pants, the young lady discovered her buttocks were firmly glued against the car's fender. Thoughts of tongues frozen to poles immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the icy metal. It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem due to the extreme cold. Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor of the moment, she answered her date's concerns about "what is taking so long" with a reply that indeed, she was "freezing her butt off" and in need of some assistance! He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and then, as she looked imploringly into his eyes, he burst out laughing. She too, got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves, they assessed her dilemma.

Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was, they also were faced with a real problem. Both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the grip of the icy metal!

Thinking about what had gotten her into the predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only one way to get her free.

So, as she looked the other way, her first-time date proceeded to unzip his pants and pee her butt off the fender. As the audience screamed in laughter, she took the Tonight Show prize hands down. Or perhaps that should be "pants down." And you thought your first date was embarrassing.

Jay Leno 's comment..."This gives a whole new meaning to being pissed off."

Oh, and how did the first date turn out? He became her husband and was sitting next to her on the Leno show.

Things have been pretty busy. I worked late last night. It's hard to believe that it is only Tuesday. I'm already on Thursday in my head. Hopefully I'll get it all straight before the day really gets started.

Walter & I both managed to get our laundry done last night. Yippee!

The day was as busy as usual, but the internet connection was giving us a terrible time. I'm looking forward to tomorrow when the NEW FIOS will be installed. It is really going to be a quantum leap in speed from the current fractal T1 connection that we have. I had a couple of LARGE files that needed uploading and finally just gave up and did the upload from home this evening. At least I can relax now, since I know that they have been done.

I had an interesting surprise on the door when I got home. It seemed that maintenance had come by to "clean my carpets"? Supposedly a requested service, NOT! What I had asked for was them to come in and make sure the water was out of the mechanical room so that it wouldn't mold and to see what they could do about the 'smell' from the leaking into the mechanical room. I was able to talk to the same girl in the office that requested the service for me over the weekend and she was as equally surprised. I told her to ask them if, "Anyone was at home?" in the maintenance office. Duh! The note also said that they couldn't do the service because Carla was out. Well logic here would say, tell the tenant a day before so that wouldn't be an issue. "Brainless bunch today!"

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to..........discourage him.

Here is a new version just for us who have white hair, or no hair at all. For us over middle age (or even those almost there) and all you others, check out this newest version of 'Jesus Loves Me'. It is quite good, so read, sing and enjoy:'

'JESUS LOVES ME' Jesus loves me, this I know, Though my hair is white as snow. Though my sight is growing dim, Still He bids me trust in Him. (CHORUS) YES, JESUS LOVES ME..YES, JESUS LOVES ME... YES, JESUS LOVES ME, THE BIBLE E TELLS ME SO. Though my steps are oh, so slow With my hand in His I'll go On through life, let come what may, He'll be there to lead the way. (CHORUS) Though I am no longer young, I have much which He's begun. Let me serve Christ with a smile, Go with others the extra mile . (CHORUS) When the nights are dark and long, In my heart He puts a song. Telling me in words so clear, 'Have no fear, for I am near.' (CHORUS) When my work on earth is done, And life's victories have been won. He will take me home above, Then I'll understand His love (CHORUS) I love Jesus, does He know? Have I ever told Him so? Jesus loves to hear me say, That I love Him every day

"For Better, For Worse"

My husband retired, and for the first time in over 40 years I had to think about preparing midday meals. Tired of it after several months, I said, "I married you for better or worse, but not for lunch."

"Fair enough. From now on I'll make my own," he replied.

A few weeks later he had to go downtown on business and invited me to join him afterwards.

"We could have lunch at that Chinese place we both like," he suggested. I happily agreed. At the restaurant the next day we were seated, and the waiter came to take our order.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

This afternoon, after I pick up Sean we're headed over to Mom & Dad's to be part of the September Birthday celebration. We're having cake & ice cream for all the September birthdays, so that will be Sam, Cassie, Elda, and me. Quite a busy month for birthdays.

Afterwards, I'm off to choir practice and then back home. Where I really do have to do laundry. Otherwise I'm going to end up going "naked" to work.

Well, I was going to choir practice, but ended up hitting Advance Auto Parts instead. The battery connector kept slipping off of the battery, so I need to get a new pair. I'm having Walter put them on the end of the battery cables this evening, in between loads of laundry. I'll be fine until then.

No laundry - instead I was nodding off and ended up in bed before quarter to nine.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thoughts For the Day: Life is not a race. Take it slower. & Hear the music before the song is over.

It looks like we had some rain during the night, we've been needing. Thing have been a bit dry.

This morning I'm heading out for work for about a half day. We're doing audio and video production today. Hopefully everything will go smoothly. Brian will be in to help out so that will be a big help.

This afternoon, barring rain, Walter & I are heading off to Bush Gardens for "Howl-O-Scream". It should be fun.

Walt & I had a good time at Bush Gardens, I do believe that watching the "targets" get scared in the mazes was one of the high points. You could just tell by watching the people in line who was truly anxious about going into the mazes. They were really funny.Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: "Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!

READ THIS VERY SLOWLY... IT'S PRETTY PROFOUND

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gas up and stammer, "I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain." And my personal favorite: "It's Monday." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get the kid toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I! 'm going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask, "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow." And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say "Hi"?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift... Thrown away....

Friday, September 21, 2007

Today was a really tough day. I couldn't believe how much we had to get done and in the short time to get it done. I felt like I was going to be permanently attached to the computer for a while there. I ended up working late this evening, finally getting home around 6:20 p.m.

I checked in on Walter when I got home and we decided to head out to get something to eat this evening at Mi Hicienda's. The food was great as always, but the service was a bit slow this evening.

I'm heading back into work at 8:30 in the morning, so I'm going to get to bed a bit early this evening.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: “In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular sect or denomination of the candidate - look to his character.” — Noah Webster

Eyes of Love

My mother's friend joined Weight Watchers, and the other day when she was getting ready to go to the weekly meeting her little grandson asked her where she was going. She said she was going to her fat club.

When she got back home her grandson said, "Well Grandma, are you fat yet?"

ROMANCE MATHEMATICS

Smart man + smart woman = romance

Smart man + dumb woman = affair

Dumb man + smart woman = marriage

Dumb man + dumb woman = pregnancy______________________________

OFFICE ARITHMETIC

Smart boss + smart employee = profit

Smart boss + dumb employee = production

Dumb boss + smart employee = promotion

Dumb boss + dumb employee = overtime_____________________________

SHOPPING MATH

A man will pay $20 for a $10 item he needs.

A woman will pay $10 for a $20 item that she doesn't need._____________________________

GENERAL EQUATIONS & STATISTICS

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.

A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

A successful woman is one who can find such a man._____________________________

HAPPINESS

To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little.

To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.______________________________

LONGEVITY

Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.______________________________

PROPENSITY TO CHANGE

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.

A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, and she does._____________________________

DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE

A woman has the last word in any argument.

Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument._____________________________

HOW TO STOP PEOPLE FROM BUGGING YOU ABOUT GETTING MARRIED

Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Another day closer to the weekend - although I don't have anything spectacular planned. I do believe that I may be going into work on Saturday for awhile. I'm not exactly sure what the project will be but...oh well.

This afternoon I have a dental appointment to see what's going on with my bite and what can be done about my grinding my teeth in my sleep. Apparently I'm not to good to my teeth in my sleep.

Tonight's the night of the 'big' performance - wish us luck!

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: Everyone smiles in the same language.

Car Sale

Judi tried to sell her old car. She was having a lot of problems selling it, because the car had 250,000 miles.

One day, she told her problem to a friend she worked with at a salon. Her friend told her, "There is a possibility to make the car easier to sell, but it's not legal."

"That doesn't matter," replied Judi, "if only I can sell the car."

"Okay," said Judi's friend. "Here is the address of a friend of mine. He owns a car repair shop. Tell him I sent you and he will turn the counter in your car back to 50,000 miles. Then it should not be a problem to sell your car anymore."

The following weekend, Judi made the trip to the mechanic. Two weeks later the friend asked Judi, "Did you sell your car?"

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Well a night of listening to the rain in the mechanical closet. I have been promised that the repairs will be done this morning.

I couldn't tell anything had changed this evening when I got back home from work. No note or work order left telling me that anything had been done. Oh well!

I headed off to choir practice this evening at 8:00 p.m., we were doing a short practice before we perform for the Association of Independent Baptist tomorrow evening. We were truly blessed this evening when one of the gentlemen of the church was able to play piano for us - and he'll be there tomorrow as well. Yippee!!

I'm hitting the hay early this evening and hoping to get a really good night's rest. See ya'll in the a.m.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day:Every now and then, go away; have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work, your judgment will be surer.- Leonardo da Vinci

Church Cats

A mother looked out a window and saw Johnny playing church with their three kittens. He had them lined up and was preaching to them. The mother turned around to do some work.

A while later she heard meowing and scratching on the door. She went to the window and saw Johnny baptizing the kittens. She opened the window and said, "Johnny, stop that! You'll drown those kittens."

Johnny looked at her and said with much conviction in his voice: "They should had thought of that before they joined my church."

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Yesterday was a real kicker. I was beat by the time that I left work and ready to fall out, but I had a hair cut scheduled. Walter went with me so that we could do some shopping afterwards.

We also went out to eat at Dolce Vita, a new Italian restaurant off what used to be Old Hundred Road. It was a really nice place. Great food and atmosphere.

I was pretty much calmed down when I got home, until I fired up the computer only to have it NOT START! I had a minor panic attack and called Gary our company computer guy. It was so funny, I tried to start it up with him on the phone and it started! He said that it was his "intimidating voice" that caused to start. (really funny). I did do a scan disk afterwards and everything looked just fine. It must have been a quirky moment. However! I did back up all my documents, just in case something goes.

This evening I arrived back home to find that the mechanical closet was "raining" again. I've called the maintenance department to come back and fix it. They said that they will be here within the hour. I doubt it, but we will see.

I was pleasantly surprised when maintenance arrived. It turned out that the fellow from this weekend didn't even tell the main maintenance office about the "shower" over the weekend.

So what had happened during the day today, was the people in the apartment above me called saying they didn't have hot water. Maintenance came out to relight their water heater, without knowing that the water heater had burst over the weekend. So now, I'm listening to the rain fall once again. Even though maintenance used a shop vac to clean up the water from upstairs. I'm beginning to think that the residence in the apartment above me have turned on their water heater again.

Oh! I had a quick call from Danielle this evening. She & the family are doing well. She does think that Faith may be coming down with a bit of a cold. I hope that it is over quickly.

I've been working this evening at home, "attending a teleconference" and make a couple of audio recordings. I'm planning on getting all this done and in the bed before 10:30 p.m.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: Every one of us gets through the tough times because somebody is there, standing in the gap to close it for us. - Oprah Winfrey

Movie Meet

After I had purchased movie tickets for myself and my girlfriend, she went inside to find seats while I got some popcorn. By the time I was served, the previews were already being shown. I stumbled my way through the dark, sat down, put the popcorn in my girlfriend's lap and gave her knee an affectionate squeeze.

Then I heard a familiar voice say, "Pssst! John! I'm back here."

Concert Dreams

Not that I need reminding, but time flies much too fast. When I was a teenager, I used to whine to my parents, "Just once I would like to see Aerosmith in concert before I die."

The other day my 13-year-old son, an aspiring rock star, blew my mind with this: "Dad, I'd like to see Aerosmith just once before they die."

Monday, September 17, 2007

Time to turn on the heat! Who would have thought it would come so soon. I kicked on the heat last night and a good thing too! The temperature outside this morning is a brisk 48-degrees. Brr!

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. - Thomas Edison

Expectations

Because of a shortage of maids, the minister's wife advertised for a manservant. The next morning a nicely dressed young man came to the front door. "Can you start the breakfast by seven o'clock?" asked the minister.

"Can you polish all the silver, wash all the dishes, do the laundry, take care of the lawn, wash windows, iron clothes and keep the house neat and tidy?"

"Say, preacher," said the young fellow rather meekly, "I came here to see about getting married but if it's going to be as much work as all that, you can count me out right now."

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Well, I woke up early this morning {6 a.m.} to be ready for the maintenance man to arrive to fix the water leak. I roused Sean and let him know to be prepared. After about a while I went back and covered up to half-sleep until he either called or knocked on the door.

I dozed a little until Mom & Mamaw Stapleton called around 8 a.m. to wish me a Happy Birthday. Still no repair man....

Dad gave me a Birthday call around 8:30 a.m. Still no repair man...

Walter came down to get me to go to church at 8:45 a.m., but I still need to be here for the maintenance guy. So...I get to miss church today.

It is now going on 9:30 a.m. and still no maintenance guy. When he does get here he is going to get an ear full. At the pace he is going I would have been able to go on with my day as usual and not had to worry about being here.

Sean has had no trouble sleeping through every call and knock on the door. So when he does get up he should be very well rested.

The day has been a real drag...It is 1:30 p.m. and at this point I have been waiting for the maintenance man to arrive for over 8 1/2 hours. I spoke to him around 11 and he said he would be here in an hour and that he was coming from Colonial Heights. I'm supposing that his truck has broken down or some other such tragedy has occurred since he's not here yet.

Sean & I are trapped here until he comes. I've ordered us some Chinese and am getting on the phone to find out where in the world he is.

I made it to choir practice this evening. I dropped Sean off at home before I headed to the church. Practice went well and we are getting all prepared for the upcoming Christmas season.

Walter took me out to the Siam Paragon for Thai food this evening. He had alligator!! It it had the texture of pork.

The restaurant there always does such a beautiful presentation of the food. This was my dinner - a seafood special. It was almost too pretty to eat. The owner's wife brought me out a birthday Taro Custard with a little whipped cream on top and a candle. It was so cute!

A great end to an otherwise yucky day waiting on the maintenance man.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: We can put television in its proper light by supposing that Gutenberg's great invention had been directed at printing only comic books. - Robert M. Hutchins

Sermon Comment

After a very long and boring sermon the parishioners filed out of the church saying nothing to the preacher. Towards the end of the line was a thoughtful person who always commented on the sermons."Pastor, today your sermon reminded me of the peace and love of God."

The pastor was thrilled. "Nobody has ever said anything like that about my preaching before. Tell me why."

"Because it endured forever."

Cathedrals

To all the great moms I know.

This is a story for all of the invisible cathedral builders commonly known as mothers...

I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense - the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone or cooking or sweeping the floor or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.” And the workman replied, "Because God sees." I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.” At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there." As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Another day of glorious weather. I've thrown open the windows and am enjoying the wonderful weather.

Mom is on the road to Mamaw Stapleton's house. We spent a good portion of the morning talking as she was on the road from Richmond to just past Lynchburg.

Danielle sent me this really cute e-card - it is a mustwatch, I nearly fell out of the chair laughing.

I've been working on graphics and website this morning for work. Sean's finally arrived and we are going to move on to video production this afternoon. I think we'll take time out for lunch first though.

While the video was compiling we went out for a while. Miss Carla had a nice trip to the 'beauty shop' where she got shampooed and her nails trimmed. She smelled so much nicer. While she was getting all fixed up, we ran up to WalMart. I picked up an extra lamp for the house - the one on my dressing table was always in danger of falling off now it has a nice steady base. It looks nice as well.

While we were finishing up the video Sean heard what he thought was rain beating on the air conditioning units outside. I thought that he was hearing horses running on television. Turns out that there was water running into the mechanical closet in the apartment. I got hold of the maintenance department and they came right over. Turns out that the water heater in the neighbor's apartment upstairs had sprung a leak.

It looks like we'll be in for the duration in the morning. The maintenance man will be back to get it fixed around 7 a.m. So much for getting out to church in the morning, unless he doesn't have a lot to do. But I'm not counting on it. I'll just make choir practice tomorrow night.

Sean and I have been finishing up the video this evening. This is what he finally got loaded up on YouTube.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Morning Everyone. There weather this morning is wonderful. It is going to be a wonderful day.

Well today marks my 16th anniversary. Wow, 16 years! Well at least the last is going out with a bang.

This afternoon I'm headed out for the annual "Birthday Luncheon" with Marion. Time to celebrate our birthdays, mine on Sunday and hers on Monday. We've been doing this for 13 years. That seems incredibly long. We started this back when both of the big guys were playing baseball together. Lots of things have gone on in both families and we've talked them all over lunch at one time or another. Good friends are a true treasure.

I got a Birthday surprise at work this morning, they had a carrot cake and card for me. It was so nice. I finally cut the cake around 9:30 and by this evening all that was left was a slice to bring home. Yippee!!

This evening after I got home from work, Walt & I headed over to El Toro Loco for dinner with Roz, et. al. We had a great time. As they told Walter we were dining with his 'adopted' cousin. The fun never stops. What a terrific way to celebrate the upcoming 'birthday'.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: “Never blame a legislative body for not doing something. When they do nothing, they don’t hurt anybody. When they do something is when they become dangerous.” — Will Rogers

Cell Phone Find

An employee of the airport found a cell phone in one of the boarding areas. She switched it on, hoping a caller would identify the owner. It rang, and she answered it, but there was no response. When it rang a second time, another female employee answered, and the same thing happened.

Moments later, a supervisor came by and picked up the ringing phone. "This is Bob. May I help you?"

"Bob," the bewildered woman caller finally spoke. "Where is Bill, and who are those two women he's with?"

We had a wonderful visit - coffee & ice cream and lots of conversation. Time really flew by while they were here. Company is something that I need to have more of here.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding one’s self in the ranks of the insane.— Marcus Aurelius

A TEST FOR OLD KIDS

I was picky who I sent this to. It had to be those who might actually remember. So have some fun my sharp-witted friends. This is a test for us "old kids"! The answers are printed below, but don't cheat.

After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset, the grateful citizens would ask, Who was that masked man? Invariably, someone would answer, I don't know, but he left this behind. What did he leave behind?________________.

When the Beatles first came to the U.S. In early 1964, we all watched them on The _______________ Show.

"Get your kicks, __________________."

"The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to ___________________."

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, ________________."

After the Twist, The Mashed Potato, and the Watusi, we danced under a stick that was lowered as low as we could go in a dance called the "_____________."

"N_E_S_T_L_E_S", Nestle's makes the very best . . . _________."

Satchmo was America's "Ambassador of Goodwill." Our parents shared this great jazz trumpet player with us. His name was _________________.

What takes a licking and keeps on ticking? _______________.

Red Skelton's hobo character was named __________________ and Red always ended his television show by saying, "Good Night, and "________ ________".

Some Americans who protested the Vietnam War did so by burning their______________.

The cute little car with the engine in the back and the trunk in the front was called the VW . What other names did it go by? ____________ & _______________.

In 1971, singer Don MacLean sang a song about, "the day the music died. "This was a tribute to ___________________.

We can remember the first satellite placed into orbit. The Russians did it. It was called ___________________.

One of the big fads of the late 50's and 60's was a large plastic ring that we twirled around our waist. It was called the ________________.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

I had a nice surprise this evening, L.G. called. We had a very pleasant conversation. It was good to hear from her.

Walter & I went out to Mi Hicendia for dinner. Dinner was good as was the conversation. While we were there I saw this huge glass. It looked like a fish bowl on a stem. You can see by the tea glass how big it actually is.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.— Edmund Burke

Help Line

It's clear why these people needed to call a "help" line.------Customer: "I've been calling 700-1000 for two days and can't get through; can you help?"Operator: "Where did you get that number, sir?"Customer: "It's on the door of your business."Operator: "Sir, those are the hours that we are open."------Samsung ElectronicsCaller: "Can you give me the telephone number for Jack?"Operator: "I'm sorry, sir, I don't understand who you are talking about."Caller: "On page 1, section 5, of the user guide it clearly states that I need to unplug the fax machine from the AC wall socket and telephone Jack before cleaning. Now, can you give me the number for Jack?"Operator: "I think it means the telephone plug on the wall."------Caller (enquiring about legal requirements while traveling in Europe)"If I register my car in France, and then take it to England, do I have to change the steering wheel to the other side of the car?"------Directory EnquiriesCaller: "I'd like the number of the Argo Fish Bar, please"Operator: "I'm sorry, there's no listing. Are you sure that the spelling is correct?"Caller: "Well, it used to be called the Bargo Fish Bar but the 'B' fell off."------Then there was the caller who asked for a knitwear company in Woven.Operator: "Woven? Are you sure?"Caller: "Yes. That's what it says on the label -- Woven in Scotland."------On another occasion, a man making heavy breathing sounds from a phone box told a worried operator:"I haven't got a pen, so I'm steaming up the window to write the number on."------Tech Support: "I need you to right-click on the Open Desktop."Customer: "OK."Tech Support: "Did you get a pop-up menu?"Customer: "No."Tech Support: "OK. Right-Click again. Do you see a pop-up menu?"Customer: "No."Tech Support: "OK, sir. Can you tell me what you have done up until this point?"Customer: "Sure. You told me to write 'click' and I wrote 'click'."------Tech Support: "OK. At the bottom left hand side of your screen, can you see the 'OK' button displayed?"Customer: "Wow! How can you see my screen from there?"------Caller: "I deleted a file from my PC last week and I just realized that I need it. So, if I turn my system clock back two weeks will I get my file back again?"

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

The weather may be alright today, but it looks like rain one day this week at least. Carla and Tweat both have been enjoying the weather over the past few days. They've been able to spend more time outside than normal. Maybe this weekend will be great as well.

It's been a good day. I've been working on getting together a couple of images for a work website. The biggest one was a brain map image. I'm pretty pleased with the results.

This evening Walt came down for a little while and had some ice cream, before heading up for an early night. Hope gets caught up on his sleep.

Sean called to discuss video production. He's got a video that he wants me to help him work up this weekend so that he can put it up on You Tube. So he'll be coming over this weekend to get that done.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day:These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.— Thomas Paine

Monday, September 10, 2007

Welcome to a brand new week. This will be the first full week of school here. Here's to all the family that is in school. Ya'll have a great week.

I sort of just piddled around all day yesterday. Nothing particularly exciting.

I did try out a new Sunday school class aka Fellowship class. We had an interesting teacher and a number of new people in the class. I'm going to give it a few weeks to see if it is where I want to stay or not. Last night at choir practice we tried out another prospective choir director. This one was good. He even has Manchester Choral Department credentials. His style of directing is quite a bit like Paul's and he has a lot of energy.

After church last night I went out to Shoney's with Jeanie & her girls - we had fun. I showed the girls how to whistle through their straws. They thought it was a hoot.

Well time to get off to work for the day. Everyone have a great one...Later

Great day at work today. Loads of stuff accomplished. Heather & I had the third pea in our pod start work today. Brian joined us this morning and hit the ground running. Great Day!

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. - Albert Einstein

A man will pay $20 for a $10 item he needs.A woman will pay $10 for a $20 item that she doesn't need.

GENERAL EQUATIONS & STATISTICS

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

HAPPINESS

To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little.To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.

LONGEVITY

Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.

PROPENSITY TO CHANGE

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.

A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, and she does.

DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE

A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

HOW TO STOP PEOPLE FROM BUGGING YOU ABOUT GETTING MARRIED

Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

A very nice morning. The weather is pleasant and on top of that I got to sleep in!

I've put Miss Tweat on the patio for the day. She has been talking up a storm since she's been outside. Carla has been laying out in the grass in the sunny spots enjoying the day as well.

There is nothing truly big on the agenda for the day. Perhaps I'll head out to the grocery store a bit later in the day.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thoughts For the Day: Work as if you were to live 100 Years, Pray as if you were to die To-morrow. - Benjamin Franklin

“I would like to know the name of the buffoon who first decided that competition was a bad thing. Who was the silly goose who woke up one morning with the goofy notion that kids shouldn’t keep score in their games so that the members of the losing team wouldn’t suffer from low self-esteem? And what fathead decided that high schools shouldn’t have valedictorians because all the other seniors would feel like a bunch of underachievers? No doubt it was the same idiot who determined that a level playing field didn’t really mean equal opportunity, but equal results.” —Burt Prelutsky

More Suthen-ism's:

Only a Southerner knows the difference between a hissie fit and a conniption fit, and that you don't "HAVE" them, you "PITCH" them.

Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas, beans, etc., make up "a mess."

Only a Southerner can show or point out to you the general direction of "yonder."

Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly" is, . as in: "Going to town, be back directly."

Even Southern babies know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl in the middle of the table.

All Southerners know exactly when "by and by" is. They might not use the term, but they know the concept well.

Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor 's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin!

Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between "right near" and "a right far piece." They also know that "just down the road" can be 1 mile or 20.

Only a Southerner, both knows and understands, the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash.

No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn.

A Southerner knows that "fixin" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb.

Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines, ... and when we're "in line," . we talk to everybody!

Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage.

In the South, y'all is singular, all y'all is plural.

Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them.

Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are perfectly wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; and that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food.

When you hear someone say, "Well, I caught myself lookin'," you know you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner!

Only true Southerners say "sweet tea," "sweet milk," and "light bread". Sweet tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it -- we do not like our tea unsweetened. "Sweet milk" means you don't want buttermilk. And "Light bread" is white bread.

And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say, "Bless her heart" ... and go your own way.

To those of you who are still a little embarrassed by your Southerness: Take two tent revivals and a dose of sausage gravy and call me in the morning. Bless your heart!

And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all this Southern stuff, ... bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to have classes on Southernness as a second language!

And for those that are not from the South but have lived here for a long time, all y'all need a sign to hang on y'alls front porch that reads "I ain't from the South, but I got here as fast as I could."

Southern girls know men may come and go, but friends are fahevah !

Now...... Shugah, send this to someone who was raised in the South or wish they had been!

If you're a Northern transplant, Bless your little heart, fake it. We know you got here as fast as you could.

Kentucky:The owner of a golf course in Kentucky was confused about paying an invoice, so he decided to ask is secretary for some mathematical help. He called her into his office and said, "You graduated from the University of Kentucky and I need some help. If I were to give you $20,000, minus 4%, how much would you take off?"The secretary thought a moment, and then replied, "Everything but my earrings."You gotta love those Kentucky women.Alabama:A group of Alabama friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night , one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under the weight of an eight-point buck."Where's Henry?" the others asked."Henry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple of miles back up the trail," the successful hunter replied."You left Henry laying out there and carried the deer back?" theyinquired."A tough call," nodded the hunter. "But I figured no one is going to steal Henry!"

Louisiana:A senior at Louisiana was overheard saying..."When the end of the world comes, I hope to be in Louisiana "When asked why, he replied he'd rather be in Louisiana because everything happens in Louisiana 20 years later than in the rest of the civilized world.

Mississippi:The young man from Mississippi came running into the store and said to his buddy, "Bubba, somebody just stole your pickup truck from the parking lot!"Bubba replied, "Did you see who it was?"The young man answered, "I couldn't tell, but I got the license number."Tennessee:A Tennessee State trooper pulled over a pickup on I-65. The trooper asked, "Got any ID?"

The driver replied, "Bout whut?"North Carolina:A man in North Carolina had a flat tire, pulled off on the side of the road, and proceeded to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the car and one behind it. Then he got back in the car to wait.A passerby studied the scene as he drove by and was so curious he turned around and went back. He asked the fellow what the problem was.The man replied, "I have a flat tire."The passerby asked, "But what's with the flowers?"The man responded, "When you break down they tell you to put flares in the front and flares in the back! I never did understand it neither."And Finally....

You can say what you want about the South, but you never heard of someone retiring and moving north.

Friday, September 7, 2007

A relatively busy day. I ran out this afternoon to Volvo to pick up some parts for Walter's car, of course they weren't in stock, so they are ordering them and they should be in the first of next week.

While I was out I had opportunity to talk with Danielle. I was glad to hear that her classes are going well and that she is beginning to put together an idea of what type of degree to pursue.

Walter's back from Roanoke - it looks like he won't be heading back up there next week. There is some work that they need him for here in town.

Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day:The leader shows that style is no substitute for substance, that creating an impression is not more potent than acting from one's center.- Lao Tzu

Please join us in the FLY THE FLAG campaign

THE PROGRAM IS THIS:

On Tuesday, September 11th, 2007, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States . Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this anniversary of our country's worst tragedy. We do this in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds.

Action Plan: So, here's what we need you to do...

(1) Pass on the plan to everyone you know (at least 11 people). Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.

(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Hope all everyone is doing well now that they are back in to school. The weather even turned enough to wear 3/4-length sleeves. You all know it won't be long before we are all looking to the spring to warm us up.Email & Newsletter Gleanings:

Thought For the Day: “Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.” — Albert Einstein